First You Fall Then You Fly
by ashj08
Summary: Derek Morgan broke the cardinal rule and brought a teenage victim into his life. She is damaged and still being hunted. Will his sacrifice be enough to save her/ What will it cost them?
1. Prologue

The BAU team was crowded around the conference room table, watching the map that Dr Spencer Reid was rapidly drawing circles and lines on. 'According to my geographic profile, using the abduction sites and the dumping grounds, the UNSUB must live somewhere in this 4 block radius.' Reid concluded, triumphantly lifting up the map to pin it to the case board. The team was in Virginia, working a local case out of their office at Quantico. It was a disturbing case, even for the most senior profilers on the team. Girls between 15 and 19 were being abducted from sporting events, raped, had the word 'STOP" carved into their left shoulder and then the UNSUB beat them to death. The team had followed their profile and found their UNSUB, a man known as John Miller now they just had to locate him.

'We know he holds the victims for 48 hours so he must have a place where no one will disturb him. Garcia, find out if John Miller owns any property in the area.' Agent Derek Morgan instructed the quirky blonde technical analyst, who hurried into her 'lair' to find the information. Team Leader Aaron Hotchner looked over his agents, who in turn gazed at him, waiting for his instructions.

'Let's go.' Hotch instructed his team. 'Garcia send us an address on the way.'

'You got it boss-man.' She called back.

The BAU team rushed out of the conference room and as the room emptied, the picture of the latest missing girl, a blonde 15 year old named Charlotte was left on the table. She was smiling, her bright eyes glowing as she gazed past the camera, the team knew that no matter the outcome of her rescue, those eyes would never be the same again.

In the cars on the way to the UNSUB's location, the team discussed the takedown procedure. Hotch, Morgan and Jenifer Jareau, known as JJ were in one car while agents David Rossi, Alex Blake and Spencer Reid were in the other, connected by speaker phone as Garcia called with the address.

'One John Miller owns an out of use clothing manufacturing factory at 1600 Bell Street. Right in the middle of Reid's geographic profile. Also, he has a seventeen year old daughter and she looks almost exactly like the second victim.'

'Thanks Garcia.' Morgan answered.

'Be safe my loves.' She responded and then hung up.

'Statistically speaking, this unsub will not give up without a fight. He will try and escape with Charlotte, if he hasn't killed her yet…' Reid's words hung in the air as the team reflected on the fact that Charlotte's chances of survival were extremely low.

'When we reach the location Reid and I will take the front entry. Morgan and Blake take the side door. JJ and Rossi cover the back.'

They pulled up to the warehouse and disembarked their vehicles, strapping on their bulletproof vests and drawing their weapons. Each team took their position around the building and waited until Hotch's order to move came through their radios. When it did they all rushed into the factory. Hotch and Reid took the foyer and offices, which were all empty.

'Clear.' Hotch called, echoed by Reid and then Rossi and JJ.

Blake entered the storeroom and her eyes had to adjust to the stark darkness, she scanned the room with her flashlight. It was dark and wet, water dripping down the brick walls onto the concrete floor. As the beam from the flashlight crossed over two teenage girls tied to a pole in the corner of the room, Blake felt something hard smash into the side of her skull and fell to the floor unconscious as her gun skidded away. The gun was picked up by the suspect who Morgan saw a second after Blake collapsed.


	2. A Different Discovery

'Put down your weapon agent.' The tall, middle aged man instructed Morgan while placing the gun next to one of the girl's heads, Charlotte. Morgan recognized her from the photo in the case file. 'Put it down or this pretty young thing will die.' Charlotte let out a small whimper and struggled against the ropes around her wrists.

'NO, please, kill me instead.' Morgan's stomach turned as a slightly older looking girl begged for Charlotte's life.

'You know I can't do that. Let these girls out of here and we can talk.' Morgan calmly responded. The rest of his team entered the room, their guns raised as they took in the scene. The unsub, John Miller, lowered the gun and shot Charlotte in the shoulder. She screamed and so did the other girl. Morgan decided to try a different negotiation tactic, holstering his weapon. 'We both know you can't get out of this. But if you come willingly then we can take the death sentence off the table.' Miller appeared to be considering the offer until he caught sight of his victims again.

'I don't think so.' He responded, quickly raising the gun and grabbing Charlotte, pulling her towards him as a human shield, the BAU agents had no choice but to let it happen as they couldn't fire a shot with the risk of hitting Charlotte. Together the pair crossed the room until they reached a back door that none of the agents knew about. Miller looked down at both his victims with a sadistic grin coating his face, as he gazed upon the girl still tied to the pole his eyes turned darker and he snarled in her direction. 'I'll be back for you.'

He threw Charlotte away from him, firing the gun. Charlotte was dead before her body hit the floor. Miller stepped out of the door and ran down the alleyway outside, Hotch and Reid chased but Morgan soon heard the sounds of a car screeching away.

The teenager left in the room was screaming, her body racked with sobs as she tried to crawl towards the body of her fellow prisoner, struggling viscously against the ropes. As Rossi helped Blake out of the room, Morgan finally had a chance to look over the shaking girl who was struggling to breathe, screaming and sobbing at the same time.

'I need medics in here.' Morgan called to into his radio. He slowly approached the girl, his heart aching with sympathy for someone so young to have experienced something so horrific. 'It's okay, we've got you. We'll get you out of here.' Morgan crouched in front of the blonde.

She looked about 17, but her body was covered in cuts and bruises, her arms also featured red, circular marks which Morgan knew were cigarette burns. Her brown eyes looked up at Morgan as she continued to cry. As soon as she saw the agent reaching for her, holding a small knife to cut away the ropes bound around her wrists, she began to thrash and try to push him away. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.

'Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe.' Morgan kept repeating comforting words until she eventually stopped trying to hit him. 'I'm going to cut these ropes off okay?' She nodded. 'Good, I'm Agent Morgan. What's your name?' Morgan questioned.

'Quinn.' The girl spoke slowly, her voice was raspy, her throat dry from screaming.

'Quinn there is an ambulance outside, we're going to take you home.' She nodded cautiously and Morgan lent down to pick her up, she groaned and he pushed the sleeve of her bloodied and torn t-shirt away to see the word STOP carved deep into her shoulder, still bleeding. His stomach flipped and the seasoned FBI agent thought he might vomit. However he managed to pick up the weak and bleeding teenager and carry her outside to the waiting ambulance. Morgan handed her to the paramedics who looked her over and turned to the waiting agent.

'We need to get her to the hospital; she's dehydrated, malnourished and probably has an infection from the…' he paused, struggling to find the words. 'From the wound in her shoulder. Is there anyone to ride with her?'

The girl in question began thrashing as soon as a paramedic tried to start an IV drip by placing a needle in her arm.

'No, don't touch me. Leave me alone!' Morgan immediately ran over, leaning in front of the girl.

'Quinn, Quinn look at me.' They made eye contact. 'Listen, no one is going to hurt you. The paramedics are trying to help you.' She slowly calmed down and allowed the paramedic to start fluids. Morgan raced over to Hotch.

'Hotch, I'm going to the hospital with the victim, she's traumatized and we still have no idea who she is. Besides, someone has to question her.'

'I'll send JJ with you, Miller escaped. That girl is our top priority until he is caught. From now you are her protective detail. See what you can find out.'

Morgan headed back to the ambulance, which Quinn was currently sitting in the back of; shivering in her t-shirt and pajama shorts. He took off his FBI windbreaker and draped it around her shoulders.

'Let's go.' Morgan instructed the paramedics. As they drove towards the hospital, Morgan knew he had to try and get some information out of Quinn before she started to process her friend's death. She was sitting up on the gurney and Morgan took one of her delicate hands in his. 'Quinn, I need to ask you some questions, is that alright?' Morgan was very cautious about traumatizing the girl further.

'Yeah,' she hesitantly replied.

'Do you know the man that took you?'

'He didn't take me,' she sighed. 'He's my father.' Quinn's eyes filled with tears as Morgan attempted to not show his disgust that someone could do this to their child. He already knew that his involvement in this case was not going to finish until Quinn was safe and her father was dead or in prison. Morgan even imagined putting a bullet in his skull himself.

'Is there anywhere that he would go to hide?'

'I don't know, he never told me anything like that. If I asked questions he would hit me.'

Morgan's eyes travelled down to meet Quinn's. 'I promise you Quinn, he will never hurt you again. I will make sure of that. But do you know where your mother is?'

'Oh my God, Mom. He said that if I fought back he would go after her. You have to find her.' The words tumbled out of Quinn's mouth and the monitor revealed her heart was racing as her breathing became shallow and rapid.

'Agent.' The paramedic warned, telling Morgan not to push the traumatized girl. They both recognized Quinn was heading towards a panic attack. Quinn began shaking and her hands clenched into tight fists, her flight or fight response going into over drive as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

'I have to find my Mom.' Quinn urgently stated, her eyes flicking around the ambulance looking for an escape. 'I can't breathe. I can't breathe.' She clutched a hand to her chest as panic held her hostage.

'Quinn, Quinn.' Morgan brought the girl back to reality. 'You are having a panic attack. I need you to calm down. Just breathe. Breathe. You're safe now.'

Quinn's fearful eyes locked on Morgan's sharp gaze as the agent took her hand and continued to murmur words of comfort. Slowly Quinn's breathing returned to normal and the ambulance finally arrived at the hospital. Quinn was unloaded from the ambulance and handed over to the emergency room doctors. They wheeled her into a trauma room but as Morgan tried to follow a young nurse put her hand on his chest to stop him entering the room.

'You can't go in there. You can wait in the waiting room.'

Morgan flashed his FBI credentials and informed the nurse: 'FBI, that girl is in federal custody.'

'Well I can tell you she is certainly protected in the ER. Let us do our job and then you can do yours later.'

Morgan eventually headed to the waiting room to find JJ arguing with a different nurse.

'JJ.' Morgan called to his partner. 'We have a problem.'

'Did she make it?'

'She's in the ER now. That's not what I meant. John Miller, our UNSUB, is her father. And he threatened Quinn's mother. That is probably where he's going.'

'I'll let the team know.' JJ replied, already pulling out her phone to talk to the rest of the team. Morgan tried to hear the whispered conversation but was too worried about Quinn to focus. 'Hotch is sending Blake and Rossi to the mother's address. Garcia did a background check on Quinn. She was never even reported missing, so where did her mother think she was?'

"God knows, JJ. But I'm not leaving that girl until we find that son of a bitch she has for a father.'

'None of us will Morgan.'


	3. Waking Up

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish otherwise I do not own the rights to Criminal Minds which belongs to CBS. All rights go to their owners I only own the story and my OC's.**

Morgan sat by Quinn Moletta's bed, as Garcia had revealed that she had her mother's surname instead of her father's. The doctor had informed Morgan and JJ that Quinn had multiple stab wounds covering her body, some needing stitches, burns on her arms, a broken rib and an infection from the carving on her shoulder. Another piece of information the doctor had revealed was that Quinn had been raped. Multiple times. She was heavily sedated but would be waking up soon. The team was still trying to find Quinn's mother. Slowly Quinn's eyelids fluttered and she woke up, gazing around the room in a confused manner.

'Quinn.' Morgan spoke quietly, trying not to startle her. Her eyes settled on his face, sensing his worry.

'Agent Morgan? What happened?'

'You're in the hospital Quinn, do you remember what happened at the factory?'

'Charlotte's dead isn't she?'

'Yes, I'm sorry.'

'It should have been me.' Morgan was about to comfort the girl when the sound of JJ's phone ringing distracted them both. The female agent stepped outside to take the call from Hotch. After a short conversation she came back inside and handed the phone to Morgan, who tried to keep his face blank as he read the text on the screen, but Quinn could sense something was wrong. 'What is it?'

Morgan hesitated before answering, 'Quinn, we sent some of our team to your mother's house. There were signs of a struggle and the agents found your mother's,' he paused, trying to find the kindest words, 'Quinn your mother is dead. It appears that your father went after her, but she managed to leave you a message.'

'Show me.' Tears filled Quinn's deep brown eyes as she read the message out loud. "Quinn, I'm sorry. I love you. Be strong, my little phoenix." You're sure she wrote this?'

'Yes, the handwriting matches and the blood on the corner of the page was hers.'

Quinn began to cry silent tears as she watched Morgan and JJ. 'She knew what he was. That's why she nicknamed me phoenix. Because a phoenix rises from ashes, from a disaster and I rose from him, from her disaster.' The tears overwhelmed her and she tried to sit up, running her hands viscously through her shoulder length, slightly wavy blonde hair. She soon found the shooting pain from her ribs too much and had to lie back down. She moaned as her head hit the pillow. JJ stepped closer to the bed and reached out a hand to softly touch Quinn's arm but the girl rolled on her side, turning away from the two agents. 'Can you give me a minute?'

'Of course. We'll be right outside.' JJ taps Morgan's shoulder and they head out of the hospital room, Morgan lingering in the doorway until JJ nudges him with her elbow, holding her phone. 'Hotch wants to talk.' Morgan took the phone from his partner, waiting for his supervisor's instructions.

'What did you find out?'

'She only just woke up, she's traumatized but she thinks her mother knew about the murders.'

'Stay with Quinn until Blake and Reid get there. Strauss gave the all clear for her to stay in federal custody until we catch her father.'

'We'll alert hospital security, do local authorities know?'

'Yes. Garcia put out a state wide APB. Morgan, stay alert. There's a good chance Miller will come back for her.'

'Yes sir.'

The call ended and Morgan stepped back inside the hospital room as JJ headed to speak to hospital security. Even though she was now a profiler her time as the team's media liaison never left her. By now Quinn's eyes were beginning to dry and her face hardened as Morgan entered the room.

'Agent Morgan, do you think my mother wanted me?'

'Why would you say that?' Morgan's tired and worried eyes watched her as he sat on the edge of her bed.

'Well, she never married my father. She must have had a reason and I think she knew what he was even then. What if I turn out like him? What if I kill people?'

Morgan sighed before answering, 'Your father is a psychopath. There is something inside him which drives him to kill. You may never find out what that thing is, but you have to understand he has no remorse, no guilt. If you can feel sadness, if you can cry or wish that it was you who died and not Charlotte, you are not like him. You never will be.'

'How do you know?'

'My team aren't just from the FBI, our unit is called the BAU, the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We study behavior and I've been watching yours since we met.'

'I'm not sure if that should comfort me or scare me.' Quinn cracked a small smile, the first Morgan had seen on her face. Even though it did not reach her eyes Morgan knew it was a step in the right direction. 'I want to see Charlotte's parents.' Quinn's words came out confidently, portraying her clear strength and determination.

'Quinn, I don't think they want to see anyone right now, they are grieving. Why do you want to see them?'

'I want them to know I'm sorry. My father took away their child, and if I can just explain how sorry I am'—Morgan cut her off.

'You feel guilty don't you.' It was a statement not a question. The seasoned profiler had studied enough behavior to know when someone was trying to hide their emotions. 'What happened to Charlotte was not your fault and there is nothing you could have done to stop it. I know this is hard but you have to accept that, or you will never be able to move on.' The girl opened her mouth to respond but Morgan continued before she could speak. 'Talking to Charlotte's parents is not going to make you or them feel better.'

At this moment JJ entered the room, followed by Reid and Blake.

'Quinn Moletta, meet Supervisory Special Agent Alex Blake, Dr Spencer Reid and you've already met Agent Jareau.' Morgan made the introductions while each respective agent nodded or waved. Quinn looked at each in turn, slightly confused by the presence of so many agents. JJ stepped forward.

'Quinn we still haven't found your father, he is currently on the FBI's most wanted list and all the BAU's resources are being used to find him. However we have reason to believe he may come after you which means you need to stay in protective custody until he is caught. It is a fairly simple procedure. Two agents from the BAU will be with you at all times, while you are in the hospital one agent will always be in your room while the other may be outside the room, patrolling the hospital or in here.' JJ paused as Quinn tried to hold in her chuckle. She noticed all the agent's staring at her.

'I'm sorry, but the most wanted list really? No offense but he managed to get away from your entire unit and I'm supposed to feel protected by you?'

'Actually since the FBI's top ten most wanted list has been created 463 out of 494 or 94% of offenders have been captured. A third of those people were caught due to public vigilance and cooperation. Statistically speaking the more people who know to look for your father the easier it will be to catch him, he will also feel pressured or trapped which will force him to make a mistake.' Dr Reid finished his speech and Quinn realized why he had Doctor in his title.

'Wow. So if you're a doctor does that mean you can get me out of here?' Quinn asked as a small grin crossed her face.

'I couldn't if I wanted to. I'm not a medical doctor; I have Doctorates in Mathematics, Chemistry and Engineering, as well as Bachelor's in Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy.'

'How old are you?' Quinn replied in disbelief, gaining a small chuckle from Morgan.

'Thirty.'

'Right then, remind me to get you to do my calculus.' At this comment Reid smirked at the teenager.

Reid sat down in one of the two chairs in the room while Blake headed outside to check out the surrounding area. Morgan left with JJ as Quinn settled down for the night. As much as her mind was racing her body was aching and her eyelids were feeling like rocks as Reid dimmed the lights and pulled a novel out of his bag, the last thing Quinn saw before she fell asleep was the title. 'The Narrative of John Smith.'


	4. Hunted

**Disclaimer: As always I still do not own Criminal Minds, only the story and my OC's. **

**Thank you everyone who read, followed, favorited or reviewed it means a lot. Without further a due enjoy…**

The next morning Quinn woke to see an unfamiliar face. Hotch was standing at the end of her bed, facing away from her to look out of the window. Quinn cleared her throat to let him know she was awake and Hotch quickly turned around, tapping the window as he did so, alerting Rossi to come inside. As Quinn gazed on Hotch's hard features she sensed he had a big heart and found herself trusting the senior agent.

'Hi Quinn. I'm Agent Hotchner, Unit Chief for the BAU. This is Agent Rossi.'

'Have I met everyone now?' Quinn was not a morning person and instantly regretted the sharp tone she used to address the men.

'Except for our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, yes. No more introductions.' Hotch couldn't help but feel protective of Quinn, losing her mother in such a violent way was something Quinn shared with Hotch's son Jack. The girl in question turned her eyes to Rossi.

'Rossi. Hmm, do I sense an Italian in the room?'

'You do.'

'My mother was from Napoli.'

'Ah ciao bella'

'Grazie. My mother insists I learn Italian and now she only ever speaks Italian at home. I mean spoke.'

Quinn's face fell at the reminder of her mother. Hotch took the opportunity to ask Quinn about her family.

'Quinn do you have any other family in America. Someone to take care of you?'

'I don't think so. My mother's family is in Italy and I never met my father's family.'

At this moment an older looking nurse walked into the room carrying a bunch of sunflowers. 'Someone just dropped these off for you dear.' She placed the bouquet on the table and handed Quinn the card attached. It was a plain get well soon card but the message on the inside rocked Quinn to the core. As she read it her face contorted in horror and she moved a hand to cover her mouth. Rossi rushed to her side as she dropped the note but held onto a photo that had been folded inside it. The note was from Quinn's father and read:

'Your mother screamed for you when she died. Get well soon, you are no fun to play with when you're weak. Don't try to run. Not even the FBI can protect you. Daddy Dearest.'

Rossi read the note and handed it to Hotch with a disgusted expression on his face. The Unit Chief stepped outside and immediately called Garcia to scan the hospital CCTV and nearby cameras for John Miller. He then called Morgan to summon the rest of the team to the hospital. When he came back inside Rossi was leaning on Quinn's bed, trying to get her to release the picture she held. It was a photo of Quinn's mother after she had been murdered. Her blood had pooled on the floor around her and her face was frozen in fear. It was a difficult photo for anyone to look at, let alone the victim's daughter.

'Quinn, give me the photo. You don't want to see your mother like that.' Quinn's eyes made contact with Rossi's and she reluctantly released the photo.

'I think I'm gonna be sick.' She muttered. Rossi grabbed for a container resting on the bedside table and placed it under Quinn's chin as she vomited into it. Rossi held the container for her and rubbed his hand across her back in comforting circles until she was finished. 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't worry kiddo. I can't tell you how many agents have thrown up after they see something like that.'

'Rossi, the team is on their way over.' Hotch inserted.

The two agents were given a moment alone as a nurse came in and took Quinn to the bathroom to help her change into the clothes that the local cops had collected from her mother's house.

'He's escalating.' Rossi stated.

'Yes, and Quinn is definitely the next target.'

'To drop the flowers in the hospital is bold. He has to be devolving.'

'We both know that means he will become more reckless, he knows Quinn is protected by the FBI yet he doesn't seem worried by that at all.'

The door to the room opened and the two men looked up to see the rest of their team entering. Hotch informed them of the situation and gave Blake the note to analyze, due to her linguistics background. She quickly scanned it and looked up again.

'Miller is definitely devolving. The direct mention of the FBI indicates he is a narcissist. He thinks he can outsmart us and we just made his kill more of a challenge. If he can get past the FBI he will get recognition.' She handed the note to Reid.

'There's not much here. The pressure is excessively heavy which indicates he is uptight and can easily overreact but our profile told us that before.'

Hotch took control and gave his instructions to the team.

'Blake and Reid go back to the BAU, see if you can get anything more off the note. Rossi and I will come with you and help Garcia check the camera footage. Morgan and JJ you are on protection duty.' All the agents nodded their agreement. 'There is one more thing. I doubt Quinn will be in the hospital much longer and since she has no family it would be much easier to maintain protective custody if she stays with one of us instead of going into the foster system.'

'I can take her.' Morgan spoke. 'I have room in my house and she seems to trust me.'


	5. A New Home

**Hey everyone, thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far ****… enjoy!**

After a few days Quinn was released from hospital into Morgan's care. In the time that had passed since their introduction the pair had already bonded. Quinn began to emerge from her shell and had been able to crack jokes with Morgan and the other team members on occasion. Morgan was impressed by the teenager, she was incredibly smart and strong, witty and curious, constantly asking Morgan questions about behavioral science, asking Rossi about Italy, Reid about books and universities, Blake about languages and Penelope about computers. Her school records had been accessed and revealed a well-rounded student achieving who was also a champion swimmer. Morgan already felt extremely connected to Quinn and she felt the same way, so neither had a problem with Quinn living at Morgan's.

'Ready to go?' Morgan questioned as Quinn emerged from her hospital room carrying her bag gingerly in her right hand. While her left was stronger, the healing wound on her shoulder still caused her discomfort. The pain served as a reminder of the damage her father had inflicted on her.

'Well I am definitely ready to get out of the hospital.'

Morgan chuckled as Quinn smiled at him, ruffling her wavy blonde and caramel coloured hair which just reached her shoulders to push it away from her face.

'Let's go then.' Morgan led the way to the FBI SUV, joined by Reid as they headed out the door, Morgan took the heavy bag out of Quinn's hand and placed it in the boot before everyone climbed into the car. Morgan drove while Reid sat in the passenger seat and Quinn peered out her window from behind Reid. When they arrived at Morgan's house his large golden retriever greeted them, barking from the driveway. As they stepped out of the car the dog raced towards them, Quinn dropping to her knees to greet him.

'What is his name?' She questioned Morgan.

'Rocky. He failed guide dog training so a friend of mine passed him onto me.'

'He's beautiful.' Quinn grinned at the dog who was jumping around all over her. 'Yes you.' She spoke to the dog.

Humans and dog entered the house together and Quinn's curiosity was satisfied as she finally got to see inside Morgan's home. It was a classic structure, a house he had renovated. The kitchen, living and dining rooms on the first floor were all open plan with natural light filling the house from a large skylight. At the back of the house was Morgan's study which opened onto a wooden patio with a hot tub and large backyard littered with half chewed dog toys. The second floor held the bedrooms and a less formal living room. The house was decorated in neutral tones of browns, greys, creams and blues and the décor was modern but also cozy. The building didn't just feel like a house but a home, with photos of Derek's family members scattered around the rooms and multiple pictures of Derek with an African American woman who he seemed particularly close to. Derek noticed Quinn looking at one of the pictures and spoke gently.

'That is Savannah, my girlfriend. You will get to meet her soon, she is a doctor.'

'Wow. You have such a huge family.'

'Not really, but I do my best to surround myself with people that I care about and I know they will be there for me when I need them.'

'That sounds very… safe.'

'Not always. When we care about someone, they have the power to hurt us. If they do something that hurts us or something happens to them we hurt as well. But the love we receive from those relationships makes us strong enough to overcome that pain.'

'What about when all you can feel is pain?' Morgan realized that they were now talking about Quinn's mother.

'Love can hurt. We feel like there's nothing left but pain because even our memories are painful. But eventually that pain will get better, and remembering doesn't hurt. No matter how dark it seems, love and hope are always possible. And they are stronger than anything else on earth.'

'That's deep.'

'Alright, enough with the sadness, how about we go see if Reid has finished making the pizza he promised.'

'Deal.'

'Let's go then baby girl.'

'Baby girl?'

'It's a term of endearment. Also from now on you can call me Derek, not that stuffy Agent Morgan stuff.'

'Okay then Derek.'

Derek smiled and walked ahead, leading Quinn to the kitchen where the smell of fresh pizza welcomed them. They laughed when they saw that instead of cooking Reid had ordered pizza from a local restaurant. Watching Quinn laugh at him from across the table, Derek thought for the first time that maybe she was going to be alright.


	6. Pieces of the Puzzle

After a pleasant night watching movies with Derek, Quinn headed upstairs to have a shower and settle into bed for the night. The large shower and hot water pounded over Quinn, as she enjoyed washing her hair as well as she could with the continued pain from the forming scar on her shoulder. While she tried to push thoughts of her father out of her head, each time her shoulder ached with pain the memories of her father digging the knife into her returned. Not just those memories but memories of even darker events, being tied to a bed and told not to scream when the person supposed to be protecting her forced himself upon her. Quinn shuddered and turned the tap so the water was icy cold, attempting to chase away the memories. Eventually she found enough strength to get out of the shower and put on her pyjamas. She was sitting at the dressing table brushing her messy hair when Derek knocked on the door. As Quinn made eye contact with him in the mirror, he approached, carrying a glass of water and two painkillers in his hands.

'Hey,' Quinn glanced up, continue to run the brush through her hair.

'Hi. I brought you some painkillers. The doctor said they will also help you sleep.' Derek placed the glass and the pills on the dressing table.

'I don't want them.' Quinn replied, roughly pushing both away from her.

'Quinn.' Derek sighed, 'You need to take them. We both know that your shoulder is still hurting and you haven't gone through a night without waking up screaming.'

'Will they stop the nightmares? I didn't think so. Then there is really no point in taking them. I may as well just put up with the pain. After all I deserve it.'

'What do you mean?' Derek was surprised by the teenager's angry outburst; she had been so calm with the team for the last few days. He leaned down on one knee in front of her, his eyes at the same level as hers.

'Nothing.' Quinn finished brushing her hair and turned away from Morgan, blocking his view of her face.

'Don't say that. It's not nothing. What do you mean you deserve this?' Derek persisted.

'I can't tell you. If you know then you won't see me the same way. You'll hate me.' It was evident that Quinn was trying not to cry.

'You don't know that. I promise you, Quinn, I'm not leaving you and I'm not going to hate you. But you need to tell me the truth.'

'I knew what he was doing. He used to hit my mother, and rape her. Once I turned sixteen it was me. Then he stopped. The day the first girl went missing. When I saw on the news what he wrote on her I knew it was him. It was a message to me. That's what I used say, whenever he hit us. Then he would always laugh and say "it could be so much worse. You're the one that needs to stop. Stop complaining." I knew that my father was killing those girls.' Quinn choked out her words, still refusing to let her tears fall. Derek placed a hand on her shoulder but she flinched and shifted away from him, still not making eye contact.

'Okay. I understand Quinn. But you didn't do that to those girls. None of this is your fault.'

Quinn angrily cut him off- 'Don't you understand? I could have called the police. I could have stopped this after the first girl. I could have saved them I could have saved Charlotte. Did you know we were on the swim team together? Yeah. That's how my father found her. I killed her. My silence killed her. So yes, I deserve this pain.'

'Listen to me Quinn. It was not your job to stop your father. If you had called the police they probably wouldn't have believed you and then your father would have killed you. You have had terrible things happen to you. But you don't deserve them and you are certainly not defined by them. Just take the pills, you need to sleep.'

Quinn reluctantly swallowed each pill and climbed into bed as Derek headed to the door.

'Night.' Quinn called out.

'Sleep well baby girl.' Derek turned off the light and left the room, leaving the door open.


	7. Family

**Thank you for all the follows, favourites, reviews and reads. You guys are amazing.. **

After leaving Quinn in the guest room, Derek went into his study, closing the door softly and pulling out his phone. He waited anxiously as Savannah eventually picked up on the third ring.

'Savannah? What time are you finishing work tonight?'

'I'm walking out the doors of the hospital now. Derek is everything okay?'

'Can you come over please? We need to talk.'

'I'll be there soon.'

Derek hung up and headed to the kitchen, making two cups of coffee while he waited for Savannah to arrive. He soon heard her key in the lock and heard her voice call out softly. 'Derek? Are you here?'

'Kitchen.' Derek responded. Savannah rushed into the room and came over to Derek, embracing him without saying a word.

'Are you okay? On the phone you sounded…' Derek placed a soft kiss on her forehead and released himself from the embrace, handing Savannah a cup of coffee. Savannah looked at him questioningly but took the mug, placing her handbag down on the island bench they were standing next to and taking off her scarf, sitting down on a nearby bar stool.

'Trust me, you're going to need that.' Morgan told his girlfriend, remaining standing on the opposite side of the island. 'You know how I told you I had to take care of a girl from one of our cases.'

'Wait, Derek did something happen?'

'Shh. No. Quinn is upstairs, hopefully sleeping. But this is about her.' Derek paused. 'I guess I don't know where to start.'

'The beginning is always a good place.' Savannah joked, earning a small smile from her boyfriend.

Taking a deep breath Derek began to tell Quinn's story, from finding her whilst working the case, her mother's death and everything Quinn had just revealed to him. The only interruptions were Savannah's occasional gasps or whispers of 'that poor girl' or 'oh my god.' When he was finished the story Derek sighed, leaning against the bench and watched Savannah, measuring her reaction to his story. While she knew that the BAU cases were the worst of the worst, this was the first time Derek had filled her in on all the gory details of a case. After a few seconds of processing all the information she had just received, Savannah stood up and placed her hand on Derek's cheek.

'What do you need Derek?'

'I don't know Savannah. I've seen some terrible things but this girl, I mean how much worse could it get. But somehow she is still strong, and smart, and witty. The world has shown her nothing but evil and yet she is still an optimist. And she has no one, not one family member has come looking for her. Hotch called her grandparents in Italy and it turns out they disowned Quinn's mother years ago. They want nothing to do with Quinn. She is completely alone.'

'You know I love you Derek, but on this one you are definitely wrong.'

'What?'

'She's not alone. She has you.'

'Yeah. I guess she does.' At this Savannah chuckled softly.

'You guess? Derek, the way that you talk about Quinn, that's the same way you talk about your family. Whether you know it or not you are her family now. And she's already found her place in your heart. I just hope you realize it is not going to be easy to live with a teenage girl.'

'God I love you woman.' Derek smiled and leaned down to kiss his girlfriend when Rocky bounded into the room and nearly knocked the pair over. 'Oops. Looks like I forgot to take him outside.' Derek broke away from Savannah and headed to the kitchen door, allowing Rocky to go outside and relieve himself. By the time they returned inside Savannah had already headed into Derek's bedroom and fallen asleep. Derek slipped under the covers next to his girlfriend and fell into a peaceful and undisturbed sleep.

The pair awoke in the early hours of the morning to the sounds of someone screaming and Rocky barking. Derek immediately rushed into Quinn's room and saw her thrashing in the bed. Rocky was cowered in the corner, barking frantically to try and wake the screaming girl. As Derek rushed to Quinn's side he noticed Savannah follow him into the room and guide Rocky out, assumingly sending him outside until the situation was under control.

'Quinn. Quinn. Quinn it's okay.' Derek called, wrapping his strong hands around Quinn's wrists to stop her hurting him or herself in her attempts to escape whatever was haunting her nightmare. 'Quinn you're safe, you're safe.' Suddenly Quinn's eyes flashed open and she processed the scene quickly. At first she continued to fight against Derek but soon relaxed when she saw a familiar face. Derek wrapped his arms around Quinn, sitting on the bed next to her and leaning back on the bedhead. Quinn collapsed into his embrace as she began to cry, her body still shaking while Derek rubbed a hand across her back and arms to soothe her. It was the first time that Quinn had let go and allowed herself to break down. Savannah returned to the room with a glass of water and a pill in her hand.

'Quinn.' Derek whispered.

'Mmm.' She murmured back, the sound muffled as she spoke into Derek's chest.

'I want you to meet Savannah Hayes.'

Quinn looked up and met Savannah eyes before dropping her head back to Derek's shoulder.

'Hi Quinn. I'm Savannah, Derek's girlfriend. Can you sit up for me?'

Quinn glanced at Savannah questioningly. 'I'm a doctor.' Savannah explained. 'I just wanted to check your pulse, make sure your heart is okay and check you haven't pulled the stitches out of your shoulder.'

Quinn slowly sat up and Savannah stepped forward, handing the water and pill to Derek while she checked Quinn's pulse. Although it was racing Savannah expected this due to the stress she was under and softly touched Quinn's shoulder. 'Can you turn around please Quinn?'

Quinn tuned obligingly and Savannah pushed aside the strap of the tank top Quinn was wearing, slowly pulling the bandage off. When the extent of the wound was revealed Savannah couldn't help but gasp, which she immediately regretted when Quinn flinched. 'Okay Quinn this looks fine.' Savannah informed her, replacing the bandage and allowing her to turn back around, resting on Derek's chest. He handed Quinn the glass of water and she began to sip at it slowly. Derek handed the pill to Savannah. 'Quinn I brought you a sedative. It will let you sleep without the nightmares. Just until the morning.' Quinn nodded and took the pill from Savannah without complaint. Once Quinn was comfortable and drifting off to sleep Derek and Savannah left the room and headed back to their bedroom.

'How could someone do that to their child?' Savannah asked Derek.

'I have no idea. But I can't even think about the fact that Quinn will have to live with that scar for the rest of her life.' Derek wrapped his arm around Savannah's shoulders.

'What if she doesn't?'

'What do you mean? The doctor's said there was nothing they could do.'

'Maybe they can't. But I know someone who can.'


	8. Turn For The New

The next morning Quinn woke up to the smell of cooking bacon wafting through the house. She quickly headed downstairs, shaking off the drowsiness she felt from the sedative Savannah gave her. Savannah. Derek's girlfriend. Quinn finally had a person to match the face and had to admit she hadn't made the best first impression. Savannah smiled when Quinn entered the kitchen and served her a plate of bacon on toast. When she smiled Quinn noticed that Savannah was absolutely gorgeous.

'Morning.' Derek called from the backyard before either of the women in the room could speak. 'How are my queens this morning?'

'Someone's in a good mood.' Quinn mumbled unenthusiastically.

'And someone else is not.' Derek countered. Quinn headed to the steaming coffee pot and poured herself a large mug, adding a small amount of sugar before Derek swiped it out of her hand. Quinn turned to glare at him. 'Hey. You shouldn't even be having coffee. Let alone be pumping crazy amounts of sugar into you.'

'That is so not fair.' Quinn cried.

'My house, my rules.' Derek grinned, standing behind Savannah and swiping a piece of bacon off her freshly served plate.

'Oi. Hands off my bacon thank you. Be a gentleman.' Savannah laughed and playfully slapped Derek's hand.

After maintaining a fairly normal light breakfast conversation, the topic turned to Savannah's work. 'Actually there is something I wanted to talk to you about Quinn.'

'Really.' Quinn stopped eating and watched Savannah, waiting to hear what would come next.

'I know the doctors told you that they couldn't do anything to prevent the scar on your shoulder. But I know someone who would be more than happy to take a look and if anyone can treat it, Mark Sloane would be the one. He is the best plastic surgeon in the country. Possibly the world. The only problem is he lives in Seattle.'

'Alright. So what do we do?'

'I am expecting a call from a judge today.' Derek chimed in 'I applied for an emergency foster care placement when you were in hospital and should be declared your temporary guardian soon. Once that happens we just need to make arrangements with the team and we should be free to go.'

'We need to go as soon as possible. Any treatment will be much easier before the stitches in your shoulder dissolve. I've already called Mark and he said he will see you whenever you arrive.'

Savannah stood up to take the dirty plates to the dishwasher and Derek leaned over to put his hand on top of Quinn's. 'We don't have to go to Seattle if you want. It is completely your decision.'

'I want to go. We may as well see what he can do. Plus I wouldn't mind getting out of the city for a few days'

'Great.' Derek grinned.

That afternoon the judge approved Derek as Quinn's temporary guardian and the only obstacle left before their trip to Seattle was getting approval from Hotch. Derek drove Quinn to the FBI building so he could speak to Hotch in person. After leaving Quinn with the team in the bullpen, Derek knocked on Hotch's office door.

'Come in.' Derek heard Hotch call and entered taking a deep breath. 'Morgan? What are you doing here?'

'I need to ask you something about Quinn.'

'Go ahead.' Hotch looked up from his paperwork to motion for Derek to sit in one of the seats in front of his desks.

'Savannah knows a doctor in Seattle who thinks he can erase the scar from Quinn's shoulder. He is the best plastic surgeon in the country and the only one who can fix it.'

'So you want to take Quinn to Seattle?'

'Yes. I've already been approved as her temporary guardian and it might not be a bad idea to get her out of the city for a while until we catch Miller.'

Derek waited anxiously as Hotch considered his proposal.

'Okay. You can take Quinn to Seattle but someone else has to go with you. Take Reid. He hasn't had a vacation day in a while.'

'Thank you Hotch.' Derek headed towards the door when Hotch called out to him.

'Morgan. Be careful. Call me at the first sign of trouble. That hospital has already had one mass murder, they don't need another one.'

'Mass murder?' Derek questioned.

'If you're headed to Seattle Grace Mercy West than yes. That is where the gunman attacked last year. We were asked to review statewide hospital safety procedures after the incident remember?'

'Oh yes. I didn't even make the connection.' Derek left the office and headed straight to Spencer's desk.

'Hey Pretty Boy, ready for a vacation?'

**At this point you can check out the crossover story between Criminal Minds and Grey's Anatomy depicting Quinn, Morgan, Savannah and Reid's adventure in Seattle. Story coming soon. **


	9. Carnage At A Funeral

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds as much as I wish otherwise... All rights belong to their respective owners. Enjoy! **

After their time in Seattle Quinn, Morgan, Savannah and Spencer returned with little excitement unfortunately while Morgan had hoped that the case would be closed while they were away, Quinn's father was still at large. The fact that he had not emerged from wherever he was hiding concerned the BAU team as it indicated that John Miller was plotting his next move, no doubt it would include Quinn. Her mother's funeral was in two days and all the agents were growing increasingly nervous. Quinn was becoming more withdrawn as the day approached. Derek decided it was time to talk about the situation. He came home to find Quinn sitting outside with Rocky sitting on the outdoor lounge cuddling her feet.

'You know that he's not supposed to be on the furniture.' He spoke softly, sitting down in the chair across from her.

'I couldn't kick him off, he gave me those big puppy dog eyes.'

'We need to talk.'

'About what?'

'The funeral.'

'Hmm.' Quinn turned away, playing with Rocky's collar pretending not to understand. 'What about it?'

'It's in two days to start. You need to know about the security. Plus the priest wants to know if you're doing the eulogy.'

'Tell him I don't know. Ask my Aunt to have a speech ready just in case.'

'Okay. So when we arrive there will be local cops on the entrance to the cemetery and my team will be with you the whole time. There is no way your father will get anywhere near you.'

'Don't call him that. Stop calling him my father. He gave up that right years ago. Do you really think he'll try to come near me?'

'Honestly, I don't know which I don't like. So we need to be prepared for if something does happen.'

Derek's phone rang and he answered it quickly, listened to the voice on the other end and had a brief conversation before hanging up. Quinn raised her eyebrows at him.

'JJ, Garcia and Blake will be here in half an hour with pizza, popcorn and in JJ's words 'the entire collection of the best TV show on earth' AKA Friends reruns on DVD.'

'Garcia is the slightly crazy one right?' Derek chuckled.

'Yeah, but we prefer the term eccentric. Anyway maybe you should go have a shower before they get here, at least get rid of Rocky's fur all over your jeans.'

Quinn laughed and headed through the house to the guest bathroom, Derek was pleased to see she was beginning to adjust to her new environment. The nightmares were becoming less common, Quinn was smiling more however there was still darkness behind her eyes. Unfortunately Hotch and Reid had noticed the improvement as well and now that the case into her father had stalled, Hotch had decided that it was time to perform a cognitive interview on Quinn and dig into her childhood to uncover new information about Miller. Derek had tried to argue against it but it was evident to the team that his growing connection to Quinn had obliterated his objectivity. Derek wondered if the funeral and the cognitive would push her over the edge and reverse the progress she had made. His reflections were interrupted when JJ, Garcia and Blake arrived.

'Hey girls,' Derek called as he answered the door. 'I guess I won't be getting much sleep tonight will I.'

'Probably not,' Blake responded, pausing for a moment in the door as JJ and Penelope rushed straight to the lounge room after hurried greetings. 'Did you talk to Hotch?'

'Yeah. He decided someone needs to do a cognitive on Monday. I'm just worried it will push her over the edge.' He noticed the lingering smile on Blake's face. 'What?'

'Be careful Morgan, someone might think you were a parent if you keep acting like this.' Blake's words wafted over her shoulder as she patted Derek's arm and headed into the house. Quinn quickly came back down stairs and Derek withdrew to the study as he listened to the giggling that came from the lounge room, glad Quinn could find some semblance of normality and happiness in the midst of her struggle, the funeral another wall on her road to recovery.

Two days passed and the funeral had arrived. Quinn barely spoke a word that morning, rising slowly, dressing in a plain black dress with lace sleeves that crossed her chest and spread down to her elbows with a pair of plain black heels. Her hair was straight and she had added winged eyeliner and dark eye shadow to her usual mascara. As she came downstairs the whole team had gathered, waiting for her. The mood in the room was tense, added to the usually somber emotions of a funeral the agents were still on duty, ever watching and waiting for a threat. Derek handed Quinn her clutch without words, Savannah stepping to her other side.

'Everyone ready?' Hotch asked. That's when Quinn noticed that the BAU agents were wearing their earpieces and microphones and the seriousness of the situation struck her. They really thought this would not go well. Part of her felt protected while the other was overwhelmingly angry. Why should the man that killed her mother be able to ruin this day as well. Her musings were ended as she realized Derek was speaking to her.

'Quinn? Are you ready?'

'Yeah. Let's do it.'

Hotch directed everyone to the waiting SUV's and Savannah sat next to Quinn as Derek jumped in the front seat and Rossi drove. The others piled into the SUV behind them and trailed to the cemetery. As they approached they passed the local police waiting outside the cemetery. The two FBI issued SUV's were waved through and as the passengers disembarked they headed toward the group of people already gathered. A large woman whose eyes were red from crying rushed towards Quinn and embraced her hurriedly.

'Oh Quinn. I'm so glad you're okay. Your cousins have been asking about you for days.'

'Hi Nonna. Thank you for coming' Quinn was visibly stiff under the woman's touch and luckily the woman spotted Rossi and was distracted.

'David Rossi. What a pleasure. I'm Luciana, Quinn's grandmother. I very much enjoy your books.' Quinn looked horrified while Rossi kindly began walking the woman back to her seat. Quinn took her place in the seat closest to the coffin, Savannah and Derek standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder while the other agents spread throughout the service. Quinn stared with glassy eyes at the coffin while the priest conducted the service and only looked up as he said her name.

'Guilia's daughter Quinn would like to say a few words.' Quinn slowly stood up and walked to the head of the coffin as the small gathering watched her expectantly. She began.

'My mom always told me that no matter how lost or alone I felt, she would always come and find me, and if she couldn't be there, her love would always protect me. She said that she would forever watch over me, and if I felt alone to look up at the stars, wherever I was and know that somewhere in the universe she was sending her love to me. Love is the most powerful force we have. Today that love serves as a reminder of what we've lost. We have to have the strength that she always taught me to have. My mom isn't here to catch me anymore, but her love is still here, in each and every one who knew her. As long as we feel that love and remember her, she still lives with us. I love you Mom.'

By the end of her speech Quinn's tears were freely flowing down her face and most of the congregation was crying as well. She walked back to her seat and Derek placed his hand back on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

'Your mother would be proud of you.' Quinn placed her hand over his as the formal service concluded. As people began to file out Quinn stepped forward to place the bouquet of red roses she had brought with her on top of the coffin.

'Siete tra le braccia degli angeli ora. Save me a seat Mom. I love you.' Quinn cried while standing over the coffin for a few minutes until she heard the team whispering. She heard Rossi tell Derek and Savannah what she had said. 'You are in the arms of the angels now.' He whispered. Suddenly Hotch came rushing over from his position while Blake and Reid had noticeably vanished.

'Blake and Reid went to check in with the metro cops, they are dead. He's here. Get Quinn out of here.' Derek grabbed Savannah's arm while JJ put her arm over Quinn's back and began rushing her back to the SUV's. Garcia followed them while Rossi and Hotch stayed to try and find Miller. Everyone drew their guns and Quinn began shaking, terrified by the situation and the memories that were resurfacing. Just as the small group arrived at the SUV's a sudden explosion rocked one of the cars and everyone was thrown backwards, falling on the ground. Morgan and JJ instinctively rolled onto their stomachs and lay on top of their charges until the scattering glass and metal debris finished falling. The others had heard the explosion through their earpieces and raced over to their teammates. As everyone slowly rose from the ground the assembled group surveyed themselves and the damage. Once assured that Savannah was fine Derek rushed to Quinn as Rossi, JJ and Reid already had. He pushed his way through and wrapped his arms around the shaking girl. Quinn fell into his chest and continued shaking, her breath rattling in sharp gusts. She put her arms around Derek and began whispering into his shirt. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Shh…' Derek comforted Quinn. 'It's not your fault, this will all be finished soon.'

As Derek spoke he looked around at the frenzied scene of local cops who had responded to their dead colleagues at the gate and the fire department employees rushing to put out the remaining flames wrapping around the remnants of the exploded SUV. Derek locked eyes with Hotch, both of them knowing his previous statement was false.

This carnage was just the beginning.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again, as always all rights to the characters and t.v show belong to their rightful owners. Slightly longer chapter today since I couldn't find a good place to cut it. Enjoy!**

Not even 72 hours after the horror she encountered at her mother's funeral Quinn found herself in the BAU headquarters once again. After an extremely short tour from JJ she was unceremoniously deposited in Garcia's "lair" so the team could continue profiling the Miller from the most recent developments.

'What does the bombing mean? Bombers have a completely different profile to Miller. Why change his method now?' Blake wondered aloud.

'Maybe he thought it would be the easiest way to get to Quinn. Cause a distraction with the dead cops and then as we rush her to the SUV's you can take her out plus FBI agents as a bonus.' JJ responded.

'What if he has a partner?' Reid proposed. 'Think about it. How could one person kill both the police officers before either one got a shot off or radioed for help and plant a bomb under our SUV which was on the other side of the cemetery. We never found Miller on any of the hospital CCTV footage which suggests he wasn't there yet the flowers were hand delivered.'

'Morgan. We need Quinn to do a cognitive now.' Hotch ordered. 'Look into any possible partners.' He called to the team as he began to walk to Garcia's lair. Morgan rushed to catch him.

'Hotch I get it but she's traumatized from the funeral. Do you really think you can get anything out of her?'

'Morgan we have delayed this long enough. Since she is only 17 I will allow you to be in the room during the interview but only as her guardian. I can see clearly that your connection to Quinn has disrupted your objectiveness. Question me again and I will remove you from this case.'

Morgan reluctantly followed Hotch into the office and leaned in the doorway as Hotch entered ahead of him. Quinn looked up as the two men entered. Knowing something was wrong when Derek hesitated in the entry.

'Quinn we need you to do a cognitive interview.' Hotch spoke softly.

'Didn't I do that before?'

'You've done interviews before but this one is a little different. It's about encouraging your subconscious mind to send details that your conscious mind has forgotten to the surface. When you are threatened the adrenaline in your system can cause memory loss to the conscious mind but the subconscious can remember details that you don't know you remember. At this point it is important to recover those details.'

'Because you don't have any new leads?' Derek almost smiled as Quinn questioned Hotch.

'We are looking into several leads but you could really help us.'

'Okay fine.'

'Okay. Since you are still a minor Agent Morgan will be present as your guardian but you need to choose someone else to perform the interview.'

Quinn considered for a moment before choosing 'Rossi.' She replied softly.

A few minutes later Quinn found herself sitting on the lounge in Rossi's office with Rossi in front of her while Derek was watching but maintaining his distance by sitting in the remaining chair in front of Rossi's desk. Her entire body was tense. She had been avoiding this interview because she did not want to reveal the abuse she had suffered to the team, especially Derek. They knew in the abstract but Quinn was terrified to reveal the details, she didn't want to the team to only see her as a victim.

'Quinn I need you to relax, close your eyes. You are completely safe here. Just think back to the last thing you remember before you were taken. You were at school, with Charlotte, in the parking lot after training. What happened next?'

'I heard a van pull up next to us. He's driving it. He gets out and pulls a gun on us. I tried to tell Charlotte to run but she was too scared. She gets into the back of the van. I think he hit me with the gun I don't remember getting in, just waking up in the van. He tied our wrists and there's tape over our mouths. I was so scared I had no idea what he was going to do. I thought he would kill us.' Quinn's voice broke with strangled tears and Derek was fighting himself not to rush to her side, but the profiler inside him knew Rossi was getting close to an answer.

Rossi placed a hand on Quinn's knee, comforting her. 'Slow down okay, you're in a safe place. He can't hurt you anymore. Go forward. You're in the factory. What can you see?'

_It was dark, the hollowed out room filled with the echoing sound of Charlotte's cries and water dripping down from the roof to the damp floor. It was too dark for Quinn to see anything but she could hear the sounds of heavy footsteps coming closer from the hallway. Miller enters the room and immediately grabs Charlotte, pulling her away from Quinn and to the other side of the room, without a word he rips off her pants and forces himself on top of her. Charlotte's screaming grew louder, enveloping Quinn who was forced to watch the horror in front of her. After what seems like forever Miller rises from Charlotte and roughly takes hold of Quinn's ankles. She screams as loud as she can as she is dragged into the next room through a heavy metal door. _

The tension in Morgan's body increased as both men in the room realised what was coming next in her recollection. Rossi interrupted Quinn, trying to move her focus to the details he needed. 'Quinn can you hear anything?'

'No it's too quiet. Wait. I can see something, the door he dragged me through. It opened after we left.'

_Miller tosses Quinn into the corner of the room, her head colliding with the wall. As her vision blurred she could just make out her tormentor unzipping and pulling down his pants, menacingly heading towards her. Once again she begins screaming, now beginning to cry and choke on her sobs. She cried out for anyone to help her still knowing no one would come. _

Quinn began to scratch at her wrists viciously, trying to remove imaginary bindings. Derek watched Rossi, ready to pull her out of the interview if needed but he knew he had to trust that the senior agent would not sacrifice Quinn's wellbeing to get answers. As if reading his thoughts Rossi held a hand up towards Derek, telling him to hold on.

'Quinn, Quinn relax. You're safe now. You're at the BAU. It's over, move forward okay. When it ends what does he do?'

'He drags me back to Charlotte and ties us together, then he leaves. Charlotte is crying.'

'Okay, try and block out Charlotte. Can you hear anything outside?'

'He's talking to someone. He's asking if the package is ready.'

'Does anyone respond?'

'I can hear someone talking, a woman I think. I can't hear what she's saying.' Quinn opens her eyes and quickly jolts back, surprising both the agents in the room. 'I'm sorry I can't do this.'

'Quinn please, you saw something didn't you? We need to know.' Rossi asks gently but also firmly.

She rushes out the door before Derek or Rossi could stop her, actually running head first into JJ who dropped the large bundle of files she was holding as Quinn headed towards the bathrooms. Hotch had heard the commotion and came out of his office to see Quinn slip out of the doors of the BAU. The small group of assembled agents looked around as Derek began to head after her but JJ stopped him.

'Let me. It might be a girl thing.'

JJ found Quinn huddled on the ground in the ladies bathroom. Before saying anything she placed the out of order sign outside and sat down next to Quinn.

'You know you really scared Rossi and Derek back there. I don't think I've ever seen Rossi actually chase someone out of his office before.'

'I guess I'm just a box full of firsts.' Quinn said bitterly.

'I take it the interview didn't go well.'

'You all know what he did right. You saw what happened to the other girls. But I never really let it sink in that I was one of them until today. I pretended that you guys didn't know what happened. I remember the way Derek looked at me that day. The look that said I was a victim and it hurt. I don't want to be just another victim. I want to be me, apart from what happened to me and when I was in there, doing that interview I could feel Derek watching me with that look. Everything I was trying not to feel came rushing back. I ran so I wouldn't have to see that look which said I was nothing more than what happened.'

'You know that's not what he thinks.'

'How could you possibly say that?'

'Because I see the way that Derek looks at you as well. He looks at you the same way I look at my son. What happened to you is going to affect you and it will impact your relationship with Derek yes, but your reaction to it is what Derek sees. He sees the strong, smart, courageous girl who isn't defined by one portion of her life. I'm not going to lie to you Quinn we need to know what you saw during the cognitive so we can find the guy that did this to you and put him in prison for the rest of his life. But our whole team is here for you. It might not feel like it now but you can get through this, one day at a time. Derek just wants to protect you, he doesn't want to see you hurt.'

'Thanks JJ.'

'You're welcome honey.'

JJ stood up and held out a hand to Quinn who took it and slowly stood up. JJ then handed her a tissue and tucked her hair behind her ears, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. Quinn chuckled at JJ.

'What?' She questioned.

'Your such a mom JJ.' Quinn smiled before moving out of the bathroom when JJ called after her she paused at the door.

'Quinn just remember it's okay to need somebody once in a while. It doesn't make you weak, it makes you stronger for letting someone in.'

Quinn smiled softly and headed out the door and back into the BAU bullpen, fighting her nerves as everyone turned to look at her. She walked over to Rossi timidly. He turned to meet her glistening eyes with his piercing pair, remaining silent as he waited for Quinn to speak.

'I did hear something.' She paused, aware she had the full attention of everyone in the room. 'His partner was a woman. They were making a bomb just before you arrived, they were planning to use it on his house to stage his death. Then he was going to go to Mexico.'

'Did you recognize the voice?'

'It sounded familiar but I couldn't say.' She turned to Derek. 'Thank you.'

'For what?'

'Everything, and nothing.'

At that moment Garcia ran into the room from her office and everyone could immediately tell something was bothering her, she rushed to Hotch and whispered to him. 'I just found something that you need to see.'

**Review and follow for more! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi everyone! Thank you for your continued support, reads, reviews and follows. Disclaimer- I do not own any rights except for my OC's. **

At that moment Garcia ran into the room from her office and everyone could immediately tell something was bothering her, she rushed to Hotch and whispered to him. 'I just found something that you need to see.'

Hotch turned to the group and told everyone to continue trying to track down any of Miller's associates before moving into Garcia's office and watching the video that Garcia had received. It was a message from Miller posted on an anonymous social media site instructing the FBI to hand over his daughter or a bomb would go off in a public building once every day until he had her back the closing message was this:

'This is your final warning. The first bomb has been planted and will explode at 7pm tomorrow. Deliver Quinn to the park on 5th and Main or the deaths of tens of people will be on your hands.'

Hotch was silent for a moment as Garcia awaited his instructions. 'Wait 30 seconds and then forward this to the team.' He left before she could respond and approached Quinn straight away, not wanting her to hear what had happened. 'Quinn we need to go through the profile, why don't you go and wait in my office.'

Quinn looked to Derek who nodded so she headed up the stairs and deposited herself on the Unit Chief's lounge. Looking around she noticed the photos of Hotch and Jack and smiled to herself. It was hard to imagine Hotch when he wasn't the serious FBI agent. Meanwhile Hotch gathered the team in the conference room and played the video, watching as the agent's faces displayed varying degrees of shock. When it was finished they all looked around at each other, wondering who would speak first. JJ broke the silence first. 'I don't get it. His profile is totally all over the place. It just doesn't make sense.'

'We need to find out who his partner is now. Do we really think he planted a bomb?' Blake asked.

'We can't afford not to believe it.'

At this point Garcia burst into the room with a short list of possible associates, narrowed by Quinn's advice that the accomplice was female. None of the agents noticed as Quinn slipped quietly through the bullpen and into Garcia's office, quickly plugging in her phone and copying the most recent file accessed. She knew when she had been dismissed to Hotch's office that something was happening and Garcia did not have any form of a poker face, she hadn't noticed Quinn watching her as she rushed into the conference room. It took all of Quinn's self-control not to watch the video until she was alone that night. She found herself shaking as she watched the image of her tormentor, cold ruthless and unfeeling. Somehow Quinn slapped a smile on her face around Derek and Savannah that night. After she said goodnight she considered her next move, it would be impossible to get away from the team the next day and get to the park which she imagined was being watched by the FBI, local cops or both. Just as she was contemplating confronting Derek about not telling her, the screen on her phone lit up with a new text message.

_Find me the spot where you first fell off the swings and nobody else has to die. I'm waiting. – Daddy Dearest. _

After only a few short moments Quinn got up, dressed in jeans and a black hoodie, put on her combat boots and walked out the door of Derek's house. She thought about sneaking into Derek's room and taking his gun before realizing that she would most likely wake him up and he would never let her go. As she crept out the back door of the house she heard Rocky barking as she walked past his kennel and knelt down beside him stroking his fur until he quieted. Quickly Quinn strode across the yard and out the gate, moving down the street until she could no longer see the house, heading for a park only a few blocks away. Little did she know Derek had woken up at the sound of Rocky barking and had automatically gone to check on Quinn, finding her bedroom empty he quickly searched the house before frantically waking Savannah and calling Hotch.

'Hotch, Quinn is gone. I have no idea where she went but she can't be out on her own unprotected.'

'I'll be right there. Did she take her phone with her?'

Derek glanced over the room and picked up the phone. 'No it's here.'

'Check the incoming texts.'

Derek's blood turned cold as he read the text. 'Hotch… She went to meet Miller.'

'Call Garcia. Have her check Quinn's image against the local street cameras I'll call the rest of the team.'

Derek wasted no time calling Garcia and demanded that she hack into the traffic cameras on her personal laptop before she consider leaving to join the team at Derek's. He hung up as she began to work and spent an extremely tense few minutes waiting with Savannah until Hotch arrived followed shortly by the rest of the team. Just as everyone arrived Garcia called Derek's cell.

'I found her entering the park 10 blocks south of your house. Derek, Miller followed her into the park. There's no camera inside the park so I lost her after she went in.'

'Thanks Garcia.'

Derek relayed the information to the team and began heading out the door without waiting for Hotch's instructions. The others quickly followed, wondering if they would get to Quinn in time. They stopped briefly at the park entrance to try and convince Morgan to stay outside while everyone put on their bullet-proof vests but to no one's surprise he refused to wait. They split into two groups to approach from opposite sides of the park. Derek, Rossi and JJ were to move in from the front while Hotch, Reid and Blake would move in from the back. Hopefully Miller would give himself up but if not Derek, Rossi and JJ could get her away safely while Hotch, Reid and Blake would be responsible for taking down Miller. As they snuck through the park from opposite sides both groups took cover under some trees and waited in the shadows to assess the situation before diving in.

'I've been waiting for you.' The voice of John Miller echoed through the park.

'What do you want?' Quinn's reply was frightened and angry.

'What do you think? I want my daughter back.'

'You'll never get out of the city. There is no way I am coming with you either.'

'One word from me and those bombs will never go off. Would you really want to be responsible for more innocent people dying?'

'How do I know you're telling the truth?

'You have no choice. But make no mistake Quinn you make one wrong move and I will kill you, that irritating FBI unit and ordinary people whose blood will be on your hands.'

'They're not here are they?'

'Oh darling. You always were a daddy's girl weren't you?' Something within Quinn snapped and she began to break down.

'How can you say that to me? You took everything from me.' Quinn began screaming at Miller. 'Don't you dare call yourself my father. You gave up that right years ago. You are not my father and you never will be.' She began sobbing and turned away, suddenly spotting suspicious looking movement through the trees. As her face showed her surprise Derek knew they had to move and ran forward, shadowed by JJ and Rossi.

'John Miller, FBI. Put your hands in the air and don't move.'

Miller spotted the agents surrounding him and tried to grab Quinn, screaming at her. 'You bitch! You set me up! Just remember when that bomb goes off- you are your father's daughter.' Just as he reached Quinn, Rossi took the shot from behind, the bullet travelling straight through his heart as Hotch and JJ both landed a bullet in Miller's chest as well. He fell backwards on to his knees and then to the ground. As Derek embraced Quinn JJ checked for a pulse on the body in front of her.

'He has a pulse.'

Quinn shrugged away from Derek and stood over the body of her father and tormentor, his blood splattered across her face, hair and clothes. The blood flowed across the ground and under her boots as she looked down at the dying man, her face cold, no tears flowing, no struggling sobs caught in her throat.

'Burn in hell.' The pure hatred in her voice was a shock to the agents around her, they hadn't expected the grief she showed at losing her mother but Quinn's reaction unsettled those around her who assumed she was still in shock and would break later. Miller bled out causing his death. Derek took Quinn home while the others stayed to assess the scene. One threat was neutralized but there were no bombs found in the park which created a completely different danger. Quinn barely spoke throughout the night so Derek decided to wait until morning before debriefing the incident. Everyone eventually made it back to their respective houses, trying to get a few hours rest before they had to go after Miller's accomplice, hoping they wouldn't be too late.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! Thank you for your continued support, reads, reviews and follows. Disclaimer- I do not own any rights except for my OC's. **

_Somewhere in Quantico, Virginia an attractive woman with short black hair looked up from the work in front of her, she was precisely placing the final piece of her art work. As she turned to the television in front of her, she saw the banner flashing across the news broadcast and immediately turned on the volume. The newsreader was standing outside a neighborhood park, surrounded by police cars and a coroner's van pulling away. 'Tonight a showdown between FBI agents and a serial killer ended in bloodshed as a local park was turned into a battlefield. Agents from the Behavioral Analysis Unit shot and killed local man John Miller, responsible for the deaths of three teenage girls, his wife Giulia Moletta and two Virginia State Police Officers. He is survived by his 17 year old daughter Quinn Moletta who was present tonight during the shooting.' _

_As the broadcast changed the woman scanned the wall behind the television. She circled several images, a dark skinned muscular man, two blondes one short and of a larger stature and the skinny one with her son, a tall and wiry genius, an older Italian man, a stern team leader and the newest edition, the language girl. She knew one thing, they would die for this. There was no time left to drag this out. They would die and the girl would have to live with being responsible for the deaths of the people who tried to save her. _

After a fruitless and frustrating day of running down the names on Garcia's long list of female suspects the team returned to Quantico tired and defeated.

'I think we've been going about this the wrong way. Instead of trying to locate known accomplices of John Miller we should be profiling the partner. She's a bomber and we know they have a completely different profile. So we take what we know about her, build the profile and track down the other UNSUB.' Rossi suggested.

'We can start fresh tomorrow. But for now everyone head home and get some rest.' Hotch ordered. The group hesitated until they saw Hotch grab his gear and move to leave, everyone following him out and they piled into the elevator together. JJ was the first to speak to Morgan.

'How's Quinn?'

'I'm not sure at this point. Savannah took the day off to spend with her and I haven't heard anything.'

'It has to be bothering her, after what she went through and then losing both parents in a few weeks, we both know her reaction to us shooting her father was anything but normal.'

'Yeah but what is normal in this situation?'

'I guess you just figure that out as you go. Welcome to the world of parenthood.'

As they got out of the elevator and headed toward the front doors, moving over the large FBI seal decorating the floor Hotch became aware of a disturbance at the security checkpoint. As a security guard asked a woman with short, straight, dyed black hair to step aside she quickly removed a handgun from the waistband of her paints and shot the man in front of her. As the many agents around her heard the loud gunshot a number of them yelled 'Gun' and drew their own weapons, including every BAU member. Without hesitating she unzipped the front of her jacket to reveal the suicide bomb vest she was wearing, pulling out a handheld trigger and stared straight at the BAU agents with a dead but committed look in her eye. Hotch stepped forward.

'Shoot me and this whole building goes up in smoke.' Her deadened and calculated voice alarmed the agents, who could guess what someone who had planned and executed this situation could be capable of.

'Ma'am I am Agent Hotchner and if you put that trigger down we can find a way out of this. What do you want?'

'I want my brother back but I'll settle for a mass BAU funeral.'

'What did we do to your brother?'

The calm façade of the woman shattered, her composure collapsing as pain contorted her face.

'You killed him. Last night. And my bitch of a niece let you. Agent Morgan,' she called to Derek. 'I would ask you to pass on a message to the little cow but I'm sure your broken body would be enough.'

She pressed down on the trigger and an explosion reverberated around the room, knocking all the BAU and many other FBI agents and civilians to the ground. The glass windows at the front of the building shattered, debris and bodies were thrown across the room as dust and smoke blew upwards and eventually settled over the scene. After a few minutes of near silence and falling debris people began to get up, some shocked and screaming, some bleeding, some springing into action to help. Several agents were already calling 911 and someone phoned the director.

Since the BAU agents were some of the closest to the blast they were the last to get up. Hotch and Rossi suffered several minor cuts from the falling glass, Blake had a large and deep cut across her arm from a fallen piece of glass. JJ was slowly sitting up, breathing heavily through what felt like several broken ribs. Garcia was bleeding heavily from a deep gash across her abdomen which Rossi immediately bent to put pressure on. Reid was almost untouched having been standing at the back of the group. Derek had been injured the worst, his body having flown backwards into a nearby cement pillar which his head cracked against. He was now bleeding from a wound on the back of his head and he was neither conscious nor responsive. Ambulances and medics began pouring into the building and Derek was quickly assessed as one of the worst injured, loaded into an ambulance and taken to hospital before anyone in the team had time to react. Garcia was also taken to hospital in a severe condition and Blake was taken later to get her arm stitched. Everyone else was cleared with minor scrapes and cuts except JJ who was prescribed ice and rest for her broken rib.

Hotch, Reid, JJ and Rossi were the only team members left in the FBI building and surveyed the scene quickly before beginning to move to the former entrance to meet the others at the hospital. Hotch spoke first as they entered the SUV.

'I think we just found our other UNSUB.'

'I think so. It's finally over.' Rossi replied.

When they reached the hospital Hotch faced the task of calling Savannah to update her on what had happened to Morgan, hopefully before the explosion reached the news. He quickly informed Savannah of what he knew and she began firing questions at him in quick succession, her medical training and experience taking over. Hotch told her what he could and there was a drawn out pause as they both realised that Derek's condition was certainly serious. Hotch hung up and sat down to wait for Savannah and Quinn to arrive surrounded by Reid, Rossi, Blake and JJ.


End file.
